US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Thursday that he hopes to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Munich Security Conference, and stressed the need to end the war in Ukraine.
«I think he will be there and there is an opportunity to see him. I think it's on my schedule, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm sure we will do it,» he said before departing for Munich. Zelensky has previously stated that he will attend the high-level meeting if the security situation in his country permits.
Asked about Russian bombings, Rubio described them as «terrible» and defended diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. «It's a war. People are suffering. That's why we want it to end. It's the coldest time of the year. The suffering is unimaginable,» he affirmed.
Rubio, who is scheduled to give a speech on Saturday, believes his message will be «well received» and holds that the conference is taking place «at a decisive moment» for the international order. «The old world no longer exists (…) we live in a new era in geopolitics,» he indicated, while defending the need to redefine priorities and alliances.
The head of US diplomacy also said he is sure that «someone will raise» the issue of Greenland during the conference, although he assured that the administration is working on that matter.
